Full Steam Ahead: "Shares Plus" and Afghanistan
Exit

Today the Prime
Minister laid out the government's response to the Waitangi
Tribunal recommendations regarding the sale of shares in
Mighty River Power. He said that the government will be
offering shares in 49% of Mighty River Power between March
and June 2013.

In a prepared statement he discussed
the Waitangi Tribunal's proposition of "Shares Plus" for
Maori Iwi affected by the sale and outlined the reasons why
the government does not believe that this is "necessary or
desirable". The Prime Minister gave five reasons for his
party's position: - That it runs counter to the national
interest to give any one group of shareholders greater
rights;- That almost every form of redress to Maori
could be achieved through other means and "Shares Plus" were
unnecessary;- That "Shares Plus" was not a practical way
for a company to deal with its shareholders;- The
"Shares Plus" idea might make the company less attractive to
prospective investors;- The Treaty obligations of the
Crown are to be kept separate from the obligations of a
company to its shareholders.

He went on to state that the
government believed very firmly that their legal position on
the sale of shares was a strong one but would open up a
consultation period for affected Iwi to raise any other
concerns that the government may not have thought of.

The Prime Minister stated that the government's emphasis
remained on getting the best possible price for the shares
and said that he believed that "Shares Plus" was not the
answer. He said that the government did not support the
idea of a national Hui on water rights or a pan-Iwi solution
to the issue. The Prime Minister said several times that
the Waitangi Tribunal viewed this issue in local terms for
the Iwi immediately concerned and the government was
intending to address the question on local and not national
terms. He stated that "within Maoridom there are a number
of views on this issue -- there is not one voice" and
therefore ruled out the idea of a national settlement.

The PM emphasised several times during the course of
discussion that the Crown were prepared to accept any
genuine claims of rights and interests but was careful to
state that the government's opinion as to what these were
might differ considerably from that of the Maori Party or
the Waitangi Tribunal.

Questions relating to the
Waitangi Tribunal Recommendations

• The PM was
asked whether the consultation period was a genuine
consultation, given that the government appeared to be
pressing ahead with its chosen course of action.• The
PM was asked if he knew how likely it was that the
government would be taken to court over its
decision?• The PM was asked whether the government
would be prepared to consider a co-governance model similar
to that in effect over the Waikato River. • The PM
was asked what the costs of the delay were. He responded
that it would cost "some millions, more than five but less
than ten"• The PM was then asked about whether this
would have any impact on the case of Rio Tinto and Meridian
regarding the Aluminium smelter. He said that this was a
matter for Rio Tinto. • The PM was asked if he had
spoken directly to the Maori Party on the matter yet. He
responded that because of a "miscommunication" regarding
flight times he had not yet spoken directly to the Maori
Party.

Other Questions

• The PM was
asked whether the NZDF's earlier withdrawal date from
Afghanistan had anything to do with the recent casualties.
He said no, it was because of the up-grading of the runway
which would be used by NZ troop carriers to exit the country
which imposed a specific window for leaving. • The
PM was asked how much the NZDF troops were likely to be at
risk of so called "green-on-blue" attacks by the Afghan
forces they were training. He responded that NZ troops were
less at risk from this because those they were working with
were Hazara, who are "not keen on the Taliban". • The
PM was asked whether it was the case that the NZDF
considered it had done the job it set out to do or was just
leaving because it had spent ten years in Afghanistan and
everyone else was leaving. He responded that he felt the
NZDF had "absolutely" made a difference in Bamyan.
• On the subject of APEC the PM was asked whether it
was the case that New Zealand would undertake a free trade
agreement with Russia by the end of the year. He responded
that it was likely that New Zealand would have free trade
with several countries, including Taiwan and Russia by the
end of the year. • The PM was asked whether he felt
there was any connection between rates of youth suicide and
economic background. He said that he felt there were
complex factors involved which needed to be addressed.

Journalist and independent academic researcher with primary interests in politics and literature.

As a researcher I am a contributor to various academic publications, including Alluvium journal of 21st century literature, The Literary London Journal, The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies, and Critical Engagements: Journal of the UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies (UKNMFS).

As a journalist, I have worked as Parliamentary reporter for Scoop Independent Media and International editor for the Scoop Review of Books.

CONTACT MARK P. WILLIAMS

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